Be Smart

A Guide to Running Safely

Any police officer will tell you that your best safety device is the mass of biomatter between your ears. Running smart is safer than running with an arsenal. Safety starts with planning: know your surroundings and the potential dangers. Remove visible jewelry. Notify someone of your route, or at minimum, general area, before heading out the door. Exploring is one of the joys of running, but there is plenty of exploring to be done within the parameters of your general knowledge of the neighborhoods or terrain.

Once out on the roads, be street smart: alert to your surroundings, confident and moving. If you have to stop to get your bearings, do so in a public place like a bus stop, where you can be seen but where standing isn’t inappropriate. Some things go without saying, but we are surprised they have to be said again: Don’t wear headphones. Run against traffic.

Beyond these basic rules, we’ve found a few devices that add to running safety. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list, simply products we have used and like, which represent the types of items you may want to consider to enhance your running:

Trail Safety

Being safe when heading off the beaten path requires a different set of tools. Depending on the length of your runs, and degree of wilderness you travel into, here are a few products to consider: